NASA Issues Call For Moon, Mars And Beyond Technologies

NASA issued this week a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
focused on what's needed in human and robotic technology to put into high gear
any Moon, Mars, and beyond space exploration.

As part of a sweeping roster of needs, NASA is asking for
proposals in the fields of artificial gravity, inflatable structures, as well
as living-off-the-land machinery.

On January 14 of this year U.S. President George W. Bush
carved out a new vision for NASA to:

Implement
a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar
system and beyond;

Extend
human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to
the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars
and other destinations;

Develop
the innovative technology, knowledge, and infrastructures both to explore
and to support decisions about the destinations for human exploration; and

Promote
international and commercial participation in exploration to further U.S.
scientific, security, and economic interests.

Roadmap
of requests

Since President Bush's pronouncement on January 14 this year, NASA has been busy
identifying key objectives for safe/reliable, affordable and effective future
human and robotic space exploration in support of the U.S. Vision for Space
Exploration.

To further this space exploration agenda, the NASA Broad
Agency Announcement issued on July 28 is basically a roadmap of requests put
out to big and small aerospace firms, universities, and non-profit groups to
come up with creative concepts.

For those wanting to take part, notices of intent are due
August 13, with actual proposals due at NASA on September 24.

Take-along
gravity

As a method to help thwart the effects of long-duration
microgravity on the human body, NASA is now in the market for "structural
concepts for artificial gravity systems".

The space agency is looking for structural concepts for
artificial gravity systems, including long deployable trusses and tethers that
can hold together while spinning through interplanetary space. Such systems
should also include methods to control rotation rate and structural dynamics.

Puff-up
habitats

Another area NASA is now promoting is use of rigid,
deployable, inflatable and erectable structures.

"Minimizing launch volume will also have substantial
impact in reducing the costs for exploration systems. Large inflatable
structures can be folded into compact packages for launch. Inflatable
structures are usually rigidized after deployment so that internal pressure is
not required to maintain structural stiffness and shape. Inflatable structures
are needed for space solar power systems, large apertures, and habitats,"
notes the NASA document.

NASA is after concepts for inflatable truss elements that
self-rigidize to enable the in-space assembly of large platforms, and
inflatable habitats with integral radiation shielding, impact shielding,
thermal management, and equipment to keep tabs of the overall health of the
inflatable hardware.

Living
off the land

One other area that has been long-supported in talk but not
enough dollars is use of local resources -- on the Moon, Mars, or other
celestial locales -- to sustain future human explorers.

As explained in the BAA, and under NASA's Lunar and
Planetary Surface Operations (LPSO) Technology effort, the space agency is on
the lookout for resource utilization systems.

The NASA BAA notes this call for proposals includes solids
and/or gases; reconfigurable, modular chemical process technologies for
on-the-spot oxygen and/or propellant production from lunar or Mars resources;
and technologies for local production of structural feedstock materials from
lunar and/or Martian resources.

Furthermore, the NASA document stresses the need for surface
manufacturing and construction systems.

Technologies of interest include those for the production of
structural components using either "imported" feedstock or available
lunar and/or Martian resources; autonomous or tele-operated robotic technologies
for surface facility assembly and maintenance; and, technologies for off-Earth
creation of solar photovoltaic systems or other energy systems.